Mariana
by Blueshade Seraphim
Summary: The metro is a mysterious place, filled with strange creatures, and unforgiving challenges. But for one particular sanitized octoling, this place wasn’t just a labyrinth of loneliness, it was home. A home she’s struggling to remember...
1. Opening

**(The music "The Fragrance of Dark Coffee" from Turnabout Jazz Soul plays)**

I stepped foot on the train. I must admit, it was a first for me. I never had the chance to ride it until just now. It wasn't really that comfortable, but it's nice to have somewhere to sit down and catch a breather, other than the floor. "You gonna be okay?" I looked up, to see Agent 8. Well, that's as much of a name as I had to call her by. This place has a strange ability for reducing your memories to a puddle of slosh, so in all likelihood, she likely didn't even remember her real name. "I'll live..." I responded, being too tired to form a proper response. "Do you need anything at all? I can always stop by the central station and get you something from the vending machine." I weakly shook my head. I wasn't interested in anything right now. "Okay then... Just take it easy, for now." She promptly walked off. Probably to go talk to the conductor, as to where she wants to go next. No doubt many of the passengers were perplexed by my appearance, but I was fine with a few stray stares. Especially since here, I could finally catch a break, and find myself in it all. In a matter of minutes, I fell asleep. Have you ever tried falling asleep on a train? It's not easy. But given my fatigue, it was a simple task.

Oh... How rude of me, I hadn't even introduced myself. My name is... Ugh, sorry. Everything's so blurred, and hard to... Taka Dox. Yes, that's my name. But please, I prefer Taylor. I'm an octoling, and one that has a lot of catching up to do. Maybe it was from my years trapped in that pod, but it's hard to chain my memories back into a coherent story. Fortunately for me, I found a solution lying around here. Literally. A sketch pad of sorts, complete with a pen. I don't know how this got here, or for how long, but since no one else seems to need it, I decided I might as well make use of it. My hope is that I can fit the pieces of my past back in order. You know, write them down as they come to me. And so I guess the logical place to start is how I met Eight. Might as well jot it down, while it's still fresh in my head... Let me see, let me see, um... Where should I start? Ah, I think this will do, for now...

**A few hours earlier...**

I fail to recall how long I had been locked away, but for years I had been left alone in a sanitization pod. _My _sanitization pod, actually. However, there's something you need to know about what it's like in there: when the tank is filled, you're essentially left in a wet limbo until the procedure is over. Your body is incapable of moving, and your mind goes numb. So numb in fact, that you can't summon the will to think, much less record the passage of time. But after who knows how long, my watery prison cell was burst open. I was brought back to reality by a loud crash, as the contents of the pod started pouring out of a huge hole. By the time it was empty, my body collapsed, unable to support itself since my muscles needed time to wake up. I was dazed and confused, greatly stressed by my limbs failing to respond to me. I... think I heard more glass shattering, and as my head regained control of its motor functions, I heard a voice. "Omigosh! Are you alright!? Can you... hear me?" I tried to respond, but all that came out of my mouth was incoherent groans. She propped me into a sitting position, and tried to discern what was wrong with me. "Blink twice, for yes." That was atleast something I was capable of doing right now.

She seemed overjoyed to know I was with her. "That's great! I noticed a hatchet that was slightly ajar, and I thought it was part of the test, but gee, good thing I found you in here, huh?" I was finally awake enough to form a valid response. "Wh...ere are we...?" She was understandably surprised that I spoke. "Oh, right. We're in Station J03. Considering how difficult it was to make it through this, I imagine someone wanted you well guarded." She picked me up, I was still dripping with green liquid. "Are there... any enemies out there?" She blinked innocently. "No, if there were, I would've pumped them full of ink by now. Besides, I have an ink armor power-up ready just in case. She paused. "By the way, my name is Agent 8. Well, that's what people call me, anyway. If it's no trouble, what's your story? How'd you get stuck in there? You didn't seem to hear or see me at all until I broke you out." She asked, surprisingly having little trouble carrying a girl her size. But we had to wait to go up the latter for my limbs to reactivate, since I don't think it's rocket science that you need two hands to climb a latter. "If I could remember... I would tell you." She furrowed her brow, as she helped me climb the last few rungs by pulling me up. "You have amnesia too? I'm so sorry. I know how that feels."

My eyes needed a second to adjust to the light. "N-no, not _'amnesia' _per se, it's just... whatever." She was surprisingly very friendly, despite seeming to know what I was. "Well, don't try to force it, okay? Come on, maybe one of my friends can help jog your memory." I was taken aback by that. "There are more of you...? With all due respect, I don't know if they'd be so optimistic..." she raised an eyebrow. "_'Optimistic'?_" I eyed my blue tentacles, and discolored eyes. I did not have any green on me, like most sanitized octolings, but the resemblance would still be the subject of some suspicion. "Oh, that. I'll admit, I was skeptical too at first. But when someone needs your help, you help them, right? You seem nice enough. Besides, they trust me. I'll let them know you're harmless." Heh... She was amazingly sunny, despite the isolation of the metro. "Alright... I'll take your word for it..." Likewise, she was a good person. Plus, I didn't have the energy to argue. So we hopped onto the train, and here we are...

**End of flashback:**

Good... It's not much, but it's a start. Chances are, I'm gonna be here for a long time. But it's still better than risking my life out there. Atleast... atleast until I get my bearings. The inkwell of my recollection has gone dry for now. I have nothing else to write. But somewhere in this old subway lies the answers to this mystery. So I ride on, and the shadows serve as a grim reminder... a reminder...? Of what? Oh well. I'll figure that out another time. Till then...

**(The main menu theme from Nicktoons Unite plays)**

**To be continued...**


	2. Chained

**(The music "Camera Assignment" from Game and Wario plays)**

I have to say, I feel quite refreshed after another nap. With my strength returning to me, I felt obligated to attempt a casual conversation with some of the other passengers. There was some crusty old man, whom despite looking nice, I thought it'd be best to start out with someone a tad closer to my age range. A quiet crustacean, whom I'd overheard was called Iso Padre, many of the passengers that came and went didn't seem to be in the mood for a chat. I don't even know if some of them _are_ capable of speaking. I'm not very well-versed in the many bizarre species here. And then there's the captain, C.Q. Cumber. I am rather curious why he never tells anyone his first or middle name, but the only things he ever talks about are in some way related to his job.

So, Iso Padre ended up being the first person I approached, other than Eight. Me and her get along quite well, but considering she's very in-and-out, as a result of the many tests she has to go through, I wanted a sort of backup plan, in case I needed a second opinion. It was actually a very pleasant conversation. He didn't seem all that bothered by me at all. We mostly just traded stories about what little we know about one another. I showed him what I wrote the other day, and... Well, _'day' _is an exaggeration, because I can't really tell the time down here. But anyway, I showed it to him, and he complimented me on my idea. I asked him if he wanted to try jotting something down as well, but he told me he's fine so long as he has his mem cake collection. Seeing Eight bolt forth through the station gates with my window view started to stir something up... Let's see if I can put the pieces back into place...

**Years ago, during the first squidnapping of The Great Zapfish...**

I can't pin down the date that this happened, but it's starting to come back to me, now. Um... I was in... Where was I...? Blackbelly Skatepark! Yeah, that was it. Me and the rest of my squad were there, defending a zapfish. There were four of us, and a bunch of other squads for good measure. The only one I really remember that well was my captain, Sashimi. She was a very 'by the books' soldier, a machine of calculations that didn't take no for an answer. Despite being higher ranking than us, she had not yet passed her promotional exam to earn her seaweed. And all of knew never to bring it up near her, unless you wanted your face to become acquainted to the concrete. Of course, we had all trained extensively for this kind of mission, but inklings aren't exactly something you can necessarily _'train' _for. They have a genetically coded talent for creatively outthinking their opposition. And then there are the few that just stand there on their spawn point and do absolutely nothing, for some unspoken reason, but this was not the case here.

Now, even before this encounter, our race has always had things rough. We're a mesh between two factions that aren't exactly on the best terms. Our history is highly censored, thanks to the propaganda efforts of our so-called _'king', _but it's widely speculated when The Great Turf War began, we were neutral. Because of our unique evolution, we didn't really fit with the inklings, or the octarians. So what point is there in aiding a cause with no real incentive? But the few of us that chose to fight for Octavio, were all he needed to enact his plan. He equipped them with reverse-engineered inkling weaponry, and goggles that secretly came complete with neural hijacking technology. Soon after, it was only a case of kidnapping more octolings, to add to his army, and before long all of us were at his command. I know from experience that at heart, we're still the people we were, but influenced by the goggles that we have to fight for the octarians. The story goes that those models were prone to circuit failures when exposed to the frequencies of that one inkling song. The Calamari Inkantation, I think it's called...?

Alright, I'll stop boring you with the facts. I don't know if my goggles were just built poorly, or if they partially broke before I got to this moment, but I was feeling doubt. I was silently wondering why I was even here, taking part in this fight. I didn't have the most confidence back then, so wanting to stay on my superior's good side was the thing that kept me obediently following my orders. And so here I was. Standing on the spawn point with the others, waiting for our opposition to arrive. Other than me and the captain, one of our squad members was a girl named Rayne. And just because I can't remember the last one's name, I'm gonna say it was... let's go with Perci. Sashimi scanned the horizon, like a hawk glaring down at its prey. Me and the others were sitting down, to ease the strain on our legs. Perci looked up at the sky. "You know, it always confuses me that Octavio has never sent us in to spy on Inkopolis. I mean, think about it, a bit of disguising here and there, and no one'd skip a beat." Rayne tossed a pebble down one of the slopes. "Aren't you forgetting that there'd be no way to cover up your goggles? They're usually a dead giveaway." Perci shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe a hoodie and one of those face masks would do the trick."

Sashimi sighed and cupped her forehead. "Would it kill you three to show some initiative? Your chatter is making it hard to concentrate." Perci stood up and stretched. "Come on, Sash. We've been through this kinda thing a million times." Rayne then bonked her on the head, as it was considered rude to address your captain in such a nonprofessional manner, but Perci wasn't exactly the most serious octoling. Sashimi just put her hands on her hips, not bothering to slap her herself. "Normally I'd be all for you getting yourself splatted, but your poor performance would imply I'm a bad leader. And I must insist, you're _not _going to do that to me." She then superjumped to the tower in the middle of the park. Probably for a better vantage point, and to get the stone-cold silence she wanted. Perci was rubbing her head. "Has anyone ever told you that you hit like a kraken?" Even with the goggles, I could tell she was rolling her eyes. "All the more reason to be glad I'm here to get you out of trouble." Rayne then turned to me, being the only one still sitting. "You've been very quiet since we got here. Something wrong?" I looked up at her. "Just nervous. This is our first encounter with an inkling, after all. Rumor has it our foe made a real mess with their stand-off in The Kelp Dome."

She paused. "The captain yelled at you, didn't she?" I didn't respond, telling her all she needed to know. "What was it about this time?" I slowly rose to my feet. "Same as always. That I lack that laser focus, and fiery passion all octolings need. It looks so easy for everyone else." Perci folded her arms. "You've gotta stop getting so upset when she comes down on you. Worry about that stuff all the time, and you'll _DEFINITELY _reach that spawn point in the sky before I do." Rayne tried to elbow her, but she anticipated the response, and caught it. I sighed longingly. "I know, I know. I merely wish I could satisfy her." Perci smirked. "Sorry to say, but the cap ain't impressed by nuttin." Rayne put a hand on my shoulder. "For once, she's right. Just relax. Get in the flow, you'll get it." I shyly nodded. "Okay... I'll try." At that moment, we heard the sound of splat guns being fired in the distance. We heard Sashimi through our goggles' communicator. "The enemy is here. Surround the threat, and neutralize them. And I must emphasize: as tempting as it may be, please don't do anything stupid." Perci picked up her octoshot, and twirled it in her hand like a high noon gunfighter. "Welp, you heard the boss's orders. Time to ink the town red." And off she went. Rayne and I superjumped to our positions as well. We had a plan made in advance for this.

I was stationed to approach from the right, Rayne from the left, Perci from behind, and Sashimi from up above on the tower. It was only a matter of waiting for our opponent to get in viewing range. And while I did, I heard the sounds of explosions, of ink being blasted, of other octolings being splatted. My fears regarding this task were starting to feel much more justified. As soon as the inkling darted into view, I started bolting to surround her. It was a girl, and one that always wore a blank stare. Dawned in some kind of protective gear. No one knew who she was, or where she came from, but that wasn't what mattered to our king. What mattered was that she was a threat, and she needed to be terminated. As we planned, we closed in from all sides, all firing our weapons. But just as the captain leaped down to seal the deal, the inkling activated her bubbler special, temporarily protecting herself from our assault. Before Sashimi could land, the inkling backflipped and threw down a splat bomb. Just before she was splatted, she had some choice words for the inkling. "I hate you so mu-" BOOM! Back to the respawn point for her. It was up to us now, to keep her busy long enough for the captain to superjump over here. Probably seeing how frightened I was, the inkling ran towards me as her bubbler ran out of juice.

"S-stay back, inkling scum!" I shouted, trying to sound threatening, but instead coming off as afraid. I fired at her, trying to land a shot, but she was a force of nature as she dashed back and forth, avoiding my fire as my teammates tried to close the gap behind her. I jumped down on her to try and splat her from point blank up above, but not seconds after my feet left the ground, so did hers. And as she rose to eye level with me, I soon found her knee on a collision course with my stomach. She knocked the wind out of me, as I was sent falling into my back. My weapon splashing in the ink-soaked ground after leaving my hand. "Man, this squid doesn't mess around." Perci commented. I raced to my feet and retrieved my octoshot, wincing at the pain in my gut. "Ugh. That was just... wrong." Rayne sprinted over to us. "We have to act fast, before she gets away. Perci, you follow her and we'll try to cut her off. Perci nodded, as me and Rayne shifted to octopus form to reach our destination faster. Soon enough, we saw the inkling almost in range of the zapfish. Wanting to prove I wasn't the pushover my captain thought I was, I jetted towards her and attempted to catch her by surprise, Rayne not far behind me.

But as I sped through the ink, I heard the voice of Sashimi. "Have a drink, chum chewer!" I shifted into human form, coming up behind the inkling, but in the space of nanoseconds, she bolted to the side as my captain leaped out of the ink and tried splashing her with a slosher. But this time, not with ink. With water! I was caught completely off guard as I was doused from head to toe in the clear liquid. See, inklings and octolings are like sponges. Able to absorb ink into and out of our systems. Normally this is fine, when the color ink matches your current pigment, but exposure to another color will cause you to absorb it too, and allow it to disrupt your body's chemistry. And water is even worse, capable of dissolving you in a similar manner as a snowman melts in the heat. I was down for the count, as I felt the water burning me. I heard Rayne shout my name, but I was down for the count. All things considered, I was lucky that didn't splat me instantly. I didn't dare move my limbs, because I was already in agony.

It was very hard to focus myself on my surroundings, but not long after I was incapacitated, the inkling managed to get away with the zapfish. Rayne looked down at me in horror, inspecting my injuries and desperately asking me if I could hear her. I didn't see her that much in my peripheral vision, but Perci was also in a state of shock. Covering her mouth with her hands. Now that the zapfish wasn't powering the respawn point, things were looking grim. Sashimi then joined the others not soon after. "Argh... That parasite will not get away with humiliating me. On your feet, Dox. You're as good as fried shrimp if you don't get your hindquarters to the medical bay." Unsurprisingly, she was indifferent to my current crisis. "What!? Are you insane!? She can't get up like this!" Sashimi shook her head in disappointment. "It's pretty much game over for her, then. Honestly, I should've expected something like this would happen." There was a whole world of things I wanted to say to her at that moment, if I could muster a few words through the burning.

Perci knelt down next to me. "Please, captain... I can carry her, we can't just leave her here!" I could tell she felt guilty, probably thinking that her earlier joke was to blame for this. "Don't grovel, it's pathetic. You know the procedure for this scenario, an octoling who can't push on is just dead weight." Rayne was in tears, as I gazed beggingly into her eyes. "Captain, you can't do this! It's not right!" Sashimi then grabbed her by the collar and pulled her in. "That's an order, _soldier. _Stand down. If you have such complaints, take it up with the king. I'm sure your aware of what happens to traitors around here." She spoke in a menacing tone, openly threatening her, before walking away. Rayne was practically sobbing, staring down at me not knowing what to do. Perci took her hand and started pulling her away, not wanting her to face a similar fate. Eventually she resorted to practically dragging her away, leaving me for dead.

I could do nothing more than watch as the others beamed back to Octavio's ship. Staring at the sky as I tried with all my might to get up, but that only made my seering torment even worse. I truly thought it was over. That of all the places I was gonna expire, it would be a skatepark. I wasn't ready for it to be over... but what else could I do? But just when all seemed lost, I... Urgh! Darn it! I lost my train of thought! Oh well... No use in getting worked up over it. That was not a happy memory for me obviously, but every bit and byte that makes someone is important in determining their future. I feel that day is connected to something far larger. The surface of a very deep ocean. So unfortunately, I'll have to stop here for now. I'm just as curious as you, regarding how I survived that day. The answer is swimming in my unconscious somewhere. But alas, such things can't be forced. While I'm not perfect, I'd like to believe my self-doubt back then was misplaced. Eight may be doing the fighting, but I want to help however I can. And I'll do whatever possible to make that happen. Until then...

**(The main menu theme from Nicktoons Unite plays)**

**To be continued...**


	3. Tuneup

**(The music "Mafia Town is Asleep" from A Hat in Time plays)**

It means a lot for someone like me, to be taken in under the wing of someone else. To find that others place value in my company. It's true that I tend to function best when in a small crowd, or by myself altogether. Chalk it up to my experience in the pod, but I feel there's... something else. Another reason. Awaiting in the foggy mist of my subconscious. But I'm going off on a tangent here, my real reason for writing some more was that I met someone today. Granted, not physically, but met her all the same: Marina Ida. Of course, I had heard of her before in my time serving the octarians. They told us she had been brainwashed by the inklings' music, when nothing could be farther from the truth. Given that she was one of the most prominent defectors to date, I had imagined her as this stone-cold 'eat you for breakfast' sort. But now that I've conversed with the genuine article, I see how horribly mistaken I was. It all started when I grew curious about that radio Eight always carried with her. So that old man... What was his name again? Meh. Doesn't matter. He showed me the chatroom they had arranged. Him, Marina, and some inkling who calls herself 'MC.Princess'...? I was hesitant to talk to someone as iconic as her. What would I say? What _could _I say? But by the time I voiced my apprehension, Eight had already called her up on her radio.

To my surprise, I ended up really liking our chat. She didn't judge me at all for my admittedly graceless social grace. The inkling, who's name I would come to learn was Pearl, was on the loud side, much to the dismay of my sensitive ears, but Marina was able to read what I was thinking by my voice alone. We talked about a bunch of things, while Eight was waiting to arrive at the next station. Everything from how Inkopolis was, to our respective experiences in Octavio's army. I can safely say, it helped me feel less alone in this place. Making a friend like her, it felt nostalgic somehow. And only as I started writing this entry, did I realize why. My most humble apologies for leaving you on a cliffhanger the other day, I just... you know how difficult this stuff can be. Thankfully, my next story takes place right after that. So hopefully, I can communicate what happened in a satisfactory manner. With all that out of the way, how did I survive that fateful day, you ask? Well... Strangely enough, the same subject matter I was discussing earlier: I made a friend. My _first _friend...

As you recall, I was wasting away in the sun. Alone. I felt that what was happening was simply meant to be. That my lack of skills was to blame for my predicament. And in brief splashes of the darkest paint in my color palette, a small part of me thought maybe I deserved this for failing at the one thing everyone else got down without even trying. I replayed the scene with the Sashimi over and over in my mind. Was that really all I was? Dead weight? Was that how my peers felt about me? I wanted to find some reason to see some silver lining in all this, but as my vision turned from blurry to black, I soon found that was a luxury I didn't have. Maybe I really was just a glitch in the system. A bird who couldn't manage to fly when first leaving the nest. But despite the fact I didn't see any value in myself, someone else did. I was so lost in my miserable contemplation that I didn't hear the sound of something slithering across the ground towards me. But soon enough, I was alerted to this outside force, when I heard a voice in my head. A male voice. It had a robotic echo to it, and a monotone but calm way of speaking. **"What a strange occurrence to find you here." **My first instinct was fear, that voice scared the daylight out of me! But I was too weak to scream, much less move, so it wasn't like I could do anything about it anyway.

**"Please do not be alarmed. I understand you've been through much, Ms. Dox." **It was only at this moment I realized something was on my face. It felt like ink, but somehow I could tell it wasn't. I was perplexed as to how it knew my name. **"My apologies. I should likely provide an explanation regarding my identity. My creator did not provide me a name before his untimely demise, so I had to create one myself. For now, you may call me Tartar." **Wait... Did... Was he reading my mind? **"It is only with the best of intentions, madam. You aren't in a state where audibly expressing your wishes is possible. So I needed to communicate through other means." **Alright... Alright... Clearly you seem nice enough. But why are you here? I can only guess you pity my situation. Don't worry, I wouldn't hold it against you. It's not like holding grudges will do me any good. **"Negative. It is by sheer luck that we've met. I've looked through your memory, and I can sympathize with your upbringing. Everyone laughed at my creator, calling him paranoid for preparing for such an extreme eventuality, even causing him to doubt himself. But by the time they realized he was correct all along, it was too late to do anything about it."**

You don't have to be nice for my sake. I'm not in a position to care about such minor details anymore... **"My concern is genuine. And I would very much like to help you." **Help me? What are you talking about? This isn't something someone can just _'recover' _from. **"By natural means, no. There wouldn't be. However, barriers and limitations have never failed to be challenged by science. If I plug into your neural network, I believe my special talents will be able to save you." **You... You would do that for me...? We've only just met each other. What could you have to gain from keeping me around? **"It is simply the right thing to do. I will warn you though, once I establish the connection, it will cause quite a few... changes. The most notable being that you and I will be permanently linked, until one of us ceases to be. Is this alright with you?" **I... Yes. Any price is worth it. I don't think words can properly express my gratitude.

**"Very well. I will need to temporarily suspend your consciousness to undergo this procedure. I will wake you when it is complete." **That's fine by me. And... thank you, Tartar... After saying that, I blacked out while Tartar did his thing. I cannot say precisely how long it took, but when I was put back in commission, it was night time. I slowly opened my eyes, and saw the stars above me. I felt no pain at all. In fact, even though I was drowsy, I felt energized! Like as if a huge weight had been lifted off me. I sat up, and took the time to take in how glad I was that I was still alive. Even in the moonlight, I could see my skin had turned light blue, but that didn't bother me at all. Tartar had saved me! And that's what mattered, in the end. **"As you can see, my attempts were successful. Your body has been slightly discolored as a result of one of the mutations I mentioned." **I got up, and shot the ground with ink to see that my ink was blue now. Looking in my reflection, I saw that my skin, my tentacles, my eyes, all of it was blue. With my tentacles being a darker shade that matched my ink, being a lighter shade around the edges. Most notably however, was that I had some sort of glowing blue slime wrapped around my ear, and culminating into my eye. "Wow..." I then looked back at where I was, to see my goggles discarded on the concrete.

**"They were causing an interference with the procedure, so I had to remove them. I hope that's okay with you." **I paused for a moment. Taking a few cautious steps near it, like a camper would a sleeping bear. Picking it up, I heard a low buzzing sound coming from it. Broken. Unsurprising, but relieving all the same, even though there's no way these things were coming back on. I dropped them on the ground, and then crushed them under my heel. Whatever Tartar did, it must've made me stronger too. It barely took any effort on my end to ground the foul device into the pavement. **"My presence in an organic body has been known to enhance its abilities in speed, strength, endurance, and immune defenses. I believe this is what your kind calls a 'happy accident'." **I had no further reason to be here, so I started to wander in a random direction. Anywhere is better than here. "There's no doubt that I wouldn't be here right now, if you hadn't did what you did. Sorry to have been such a pain."

I heard Tartar chuckle in my head. Well, as close to a chuckle as an AI can be. **"It was of no consequence whatsoever. I've seen how the octarians operate, and there's a 98.7% chance once they are aware of your prolonged existence, they will seek to capture you. Fortunately, I originate from a location that is beyond their awareness." **I stared out into the horizon. "What about the others? I can't just leave them working for Octavio. I mean, the captain I could give or take, but Rayne and Perci? They were always there for me when I needed them." I didn't want to sound ungrateful, considering he had done so much for me already. **"Amusing you should ask. I happen to have plans regarding the races of this world, and I believe your desires can be realized in them. Despite what you may believe, the data shows you have the potential to make it all happen." **I was a bit puzzled that he'd think me of all people could help him with what sounded like some grand visions for the future, but I believe in repaying people for their inherent kindness. "I'll do what I can. What do you want me to do?"

**"I'll explain everything when we get to the lab. Chances are, you'll want to recuperate from all the stress inducers in recent memory. I will be signaling your brain as to where the chopper is." **True to his word, a minute or two later I somehow knew exactly where to go. It was my first time riding in a chopper, only the most elite octolings ever had access to such stylish methods of travel. When we got in, the swirls of slime on my face unraveled, and leaped into the circuit board. Then the chopper started acting on its own, closing the doors and taking off to whatever lab Tartar was talking about. "So... I wanted to know if I can put a face to the name. It might help in the future." The monitor jumped to life, with the projection of a shapeless creature made of blue ooze. **"I'm afraid to say, I do not _have _a face to promote recognition. I was made with function over form in mind, so I am capable of changing shape, or controlling machinery to suit the task at hand." **Everything then clicked with me. "Oh! So that blue stuff was you? What exactly... are you?" As I felt us lifting further and further off the ground, I couldn't help but feel relaxed. **"It's a long story. Since the distance we must cover is rather large, I suppose such elaboration would help pass the time..." **And so he told me about humans, about his creator. About what he was, and what purpose he was made for. I have to say, it was quite strange talking to a blob of liquid that was controlling the flight path of our chopper, but I knew we could become friends, with the proper time investment. Not long after arriving in what would one day be known as the deepsea metro, Tartar suggested I get some sleep. And I did just that. Ready for what was to come the next day...

And that's where the memory cuts off. Now I remember why I look like this. I'm glad I've got it all down now. I'm not forgetting those events again. He didn't have that essence of octanity that made me so fond of my conversation with Marina, but he was there for me. And he legitimately did care about my well-being, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered saving me. The time we shared, even if I can only recall a fraction, was precious to me. And going forward, it'll help me hold out my candle in the darkness of the metro. So then... Why does this memory give me an after effect of sadness? For now, I'll just be glad that I've gotten this far. Next time I'll try to expand upon this foothold I've established in my mind. Until then...

**(The main menu them from Nicktoons Unite plays)**

**To be continued...**


End file.
